People need time to regain confidence to travel, says tourism council chief

PETALING JAYA: It may take some time for people to start travelling again, even after the announcement allowing domestic tourism for those who are fully vaccinated, says Malaysia Tourism Council (MTC) president Uzaidi Udanis.

"The Prime Minister's announcement is timely as we have already laid the groundwork in anticipation of this," he said when contacted on Sunday (Aug 8).

The biggest challenge, however, is rebuilding confidence among the target group of travellers, he added.

"It's about time that we learn to adapt to and live with the virus as Singapore and Thailand are doing.

"There is still fear among the public owing to the new Covid-19 variants.

"The impact of the announcement would not be felt immediately, as it will take some time for people to feel confident about travelling again," he said.

Uzaidi, who also heads the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (Mita), said many tourist operators had carried out business matching for destinations such as Langkawi, Selangor and Melaka even prior to the announcement.

"They are all eager to restart their operations.

"I am surprised to see that there are still a lot of players in the industry, as I thought many would have given up by now," he said.

He added that those who will be allowed to travel after Aug 10 are likely to opt for nearby destinations.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had announced earlier on Sunday that tourism activities involving homestays and hotels within the same state will be allowed for those who are fully vaccinated.